Abbaetgemeitt of ports in steam-cylinders



sra'rns f BOWEN EATON, OF ROANOKE, INDIANA.

ARRANGEMENT or roars 1N s'rEAivr-CYLINDE'RS.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 17,142, dated April 28, 1857.

To all whom t may concern Be it known that I, Bowmv EATON, of Roanoke,in the countyof Huntington and State of Indiana, have invented a new anduseful arrangement of ports in steam-cylinders, discharging steamtherefrom by means of the piston-head and so placing the valveseat ofthe steam-chest as to dispense with the side pipe and making but oneopening in the said valve-seat and using a simple flat valve for thesame; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exactdescription thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

The nature of my improvement consists in the making of an escape oriiicein the cylinder, and discharging the steam therefrom by means of thepiston head, by which I am enabled to place the valve-seat of the steamchest immediately on the cylinder, thus dispensing with the side-pipeand diminishing the space traversed by the steam from five or sixinches, to three-fourths of an inch.

It further consists in the greater distance through which the pistonhead traverses, than in ordinary engines, before it becomes necessary tolet off the steam, consequently, allowing a much longer use of it, and afreer discharge thereof.

It also consists in making butone opening in the valve seat of the steamchest, and the using of a simple fiat valve for the same, together withusing this valve only for the purpose' of letting steam intothecylinder, and as a cut-off, by means of which, the pressure and frictionon this valve, and the power necessary for working the same are verygreatly diminished.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my improvement, Iwill proceed to describe its construction and operation.

The cylinder A is constructed in any of the known forms, with an oblong,flattened disk M of suiiicient dimensions, inthe center (measuringlengthwise) for the purpose of attaching the escape-pipe; through whichdisk an escapevorifice J, is made exactly in the center of the cylinder,and transversely to the same, for the escape of the steam, which escapeis accomplished in an easy, direct and speedy manner, and rendering itunnecessary to return the steam through the steam chest, as in theordinary way. The size of this opening,l or oriiice, is one inch, bysuch length as will be equal to fourtenths of the inside circumferenceof the cylinder, and made beveling from within outward, to allow thefree and easy escape of the steam. This opening is best made on one sideof the cylinder. I make two openings in the cylinder, one in each end,for supplying the same with steam, which are opened and closedalternately by means of the valves F, F, of the steam chests C, C.

These valves are connected together by the valve-rod G. f

The piston head B is made one half of the length of the cylinder,inside; (less a half inch, to an inch and a half, and acts as a valve tothe escape orifice in the same, retaining the steam in the` cylinderuntil the piston head passes said orifice, and securing a much longeruse of the power,) and then discharges the steam from the same, bypassing the escape orifice in the cylinder at each vibration of thepiston, and thus obviates the necessity of providing for the dischargeof the steam by the valve of the steam chest7 and of course lesseningthe pressure and friction on that valve, at least ive-sevent-hs of theordinary amount, and very materially diminishing the liability ofaccidents.

It will be seen that as the steam enters at one end of the cylinder,behind the piston head, it is forced along the cylinder until it passesthe escape orifice in the center,.when the steam escapes; the steam thusenters at the other end of the cylinder and forces the piston back againuntil it re-passes the same orifice, when the steam escapes as before.The valve seat of the steam chest is placed immediately on the cylinder,dispensing with the side pipe, andmaking the passage of the steam to thecylinder immediate and direct. The valves F, F, of the steam chests C,C, are simple flat valves, made much smaller than usual and connectedtogether by the valve-rod Gr, and are used only for leting steam intothe cylinder, and as cut o s.

I make use of two steam chests, C C` placing one on each end of thecylinder A which are connected by steam pipe D, with but one opening ineach for the egress of steam.

This opening c, c should be one half inch, by nearly the inside diameterof the cylinder.

What I claim as my invention, and desire 5 to secure by Letters Patent,is

The arrangement of the central exhaust and end steam ports, as hereinset forth for the admission of steam at each end of the cylinder only,and its eduction from the central port only; the latter being controlled10 entirely by the piston of the engines cylinder.

BOWEN EATON. Witnesses:

A. M. LEWIS, WM. M. KCHER.

